2013 Transition Covert with a 180mm fork?

Toying with the idea of building up a covert as a Am/Freeride bike with a 180mm fork. Wondering if anyone else has done this. I know that a lot of people run SC nomads and Ibis mojos with 180mm forks, and I have one friend with a Titus El Guapo with a 180mm fork, and another with a foes FXR with a 180mm fork, and both of their bike's feel good. So I figured, being in the same class, the covert would handle a 7 inch fork well. Any thoughts?

As long as the frame is rated for the extra leverage a longer axle to crown ads and you want the slacker angles and taller BB do it. 180 forks are stiffer than 160 forks too so you gain more than just 20mm travel and altered geo.

A lot of people seem to be fine with doing that, but I didn't like it on my last bike. i put a 180 float on a rune...ended up liking it best at 160. for me, throwing off the geo was not worth the extra travel

if you are willing to deal with the weight of a totem, you could have external adjustment so you can dial it in for whatever you're riding that day

question is; does the warranty cover using a fork that long? (I doubt it) if not that means the extra leverage could break the head tube (and then you!) call transition and ask them if that frame can support that fork. Kinda sucks that they used to make a pedal-friendly 7" bike ('10-'11' blindside) but like many bike companies...not anymore.

Email transition. I've emailed them in the past and they are very responsive and obviously knowledgeable about their products. They should know if people are running this set up and will be able to clear up any warranty issues.

Adding on to what arkon11 said...the Covert is heavy enough, adding a 180mm fork is just unnecessarily weighing you down even more. The Covert is meant to be pedaled too, but if you want to just build a FR bike, sell off the frame and pickup a TR250.

Adding on to what arkon11 said...the Covert is heavy enough, adding a 180mm fork is just unnecessarily weighing you down even more. The Covert is meant to be pedaled too, but if you want to just build a FR bike, sell off the frame and pickup a TR250.

The difference in weight between a 36 180 and 36 160 isn't that much. It depends on what models you are comparing but the difference can be less than 200g. That's like switching from a float to a dhx air. Switching between a lyrik solo air and coil totem is different, but a guy can def keep the weight penalty under .5lbs and gain rigidity, BB height, slacker angles, and 20mm extra travel. I call that a pretty good compromise for riders that will benefit from the above changes.

My nomad has a different personality with a 180. It's quite a bit more capable when it comes to chunky tech, and FR, but it's still light enough to climb whatever. No way would I trade my nomad with 180 for my old bullit or vp free. 6" with 180 fork is a great set up if your riding and trails call for it.

Some of us don't really put weight as a priority. My current AM rig (gt force) weighs in at 34lbs, and it feels light to me. Heavier bike means more of a workout. It's more about climbing geometry and cabability. The Tr250 has no FD mount (a must for climbing in Socal) and a lax seat tube angle, which is not what I want. And besides its more than 500$ more.

Then what's the point of slapping a 180mm fork on? The Covert is plenty capable on the downhills already. My point was that it just seems superfluous to add a 180mm fork, skew the geometry and add unnecessary weight when you don't need to.

i say if you want a big fork on a Covert run something like a fox 36 160mm or rockshox lyric (545 a-c height),instead the fox 34 160 that the build comes with (534 a-c). i really dont understand why fox made them shorter than the 36s. Oh, and maybe also an external lower headset cup. Doesnt sound like a huge diffeernce but should slack it out closer to 66-66.5and I think that would be the sweet spot. I agree with others, I think a totem is overkill for the covert. But I love totemage on my Blindside v5! for a 7" bike its very light and pedaling-friendly .